


Crooked Terms

by ArgyleTheWonder



Category: NEOKOSMOS (Webcomic)
Genre: Gen, Lovecraftian AU, Magic, Metaphysics, Short, Weird, cosmic horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-11 16:41:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19931206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArgyleTheWonder/pseuds/ArgyleTheWonder
Summary: Frightened by recent events, Iris musters all of her knowledge of the occult to contact the only beings who could salvage the situation.





	Crooked Terms

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually the sequel to a story I and one of my best friends have been working on for a long while, and so while it won't make much sense to others, I still think that it's worth publishing.

Iris stopped reading and put her journal down. Taking a deep breath, she looked around herself. She had done everything that her copy of the text had described. She sat within a circle of intricately drawn symbols, its center dominated by a great pentagram, candles of various lengths placed at odd intervals around the edge. There were six in total, a holy number. Small chunks of quartz crystals were placed strategically within the mess of sigils, drawing down the energies of the Void, empowering the sanctified site with Their foul presence. Beside her, outside the diagrams and markings, a makeshift censer burned steadily, releasing thin wisps of sickly-sweet smoke.

She had taken great pains to insure that her workings would be uninterrupted. Knowing of her history, she had been placed under near constant supervision, which made gathering materials painstaking and risky. Almost every moment when the watching gaze didn't fall upon her was spent searching for the necessary components. There were a few near misses, and once she thought she had been found, but as fate would have it, she pulled through.

Recent events had proven to her that the situation had become dire. Ever since the book had been confiscated from her, the one who now possessed it worked continuously to unlock its secrets. They were a fool, toying with forces they had no understanding of. Iris had hungrily devoured the book's contents in the short time she held it. She knew of the power, and dangers, the book held within its ancient, crumbling pages. She had witnessed firsthand the fate of those who use the book's wisdom as if it were a mere tool, it having almost taken her life. If they were to ever know the dangers of the book, such that they might revile it as she did, it would be too late for them, and for the world.

To this end, to stop that mad idiot from damning all who dwelt within this plane, she sought to speak with ones who could put an end to this, ones not bound by the petty laws of this world. In her study of the book, she had read of great beings, Elder Lords, who ruled over this world, over all of Creation. They headed a Court based within the center of existence, served and obeyed by legions billions strong. But They resided in a place where no mortal may reach; much less survive within, without assistance from higher powers. The book had spoken of certain ceremonies which would allow one communion with these foul powers, which she had copied down several of such rites, amongst other hexes and spells, before the book was taken back by its current owner. By undertaking this journey through the Void, to confront such hideous Lords, she would be risking herself again. Her soul would once more be on the bargaining table, and there was no telling whether They would not double-cross her as the thing she and her friends had brought forth had, but if she had to pay such a price for taking matters into her own hands, then let her be damned for action than inaction.

She breathed deep once more, taking in the burning incense sufficing the air. There was only one thing left to do. Being careful so not to disturb her scrawled runes, one-by-one, she blew out the candles, twisting to reach those behind her. The room was soon enveloped by darkness, and she cleared her throat. Now that her journal was obscured from sight, she had only her memory to work off of as she recited the incantation.

"Tha thftuiagftatt gax ut 'uthha' as ust thftuta,  
A guftgan gftu'x tassftat un sha ftaa."

The alien tongue flowed from her mouth like tar. It left a bitter taste, and she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand.

"Surs, tsaaftung thagught huns ur thuuft 'aluta,  
Tu naftftughung ftangtthala, ang su thaftnung taa."

Slowly, she could feel her senses dull. Her vision dimmed, darker than the lightless room. Her voice sounded quiet as if it was at a distance. She couldn't feel her fingers and toes, arms and legs growing numb. Even the stench of the censer grew fainter and fainter as she continued to speak.

"Ang un shas nuftfta', gansfta', ftu'aftua' ftughs,  
Tha tuiaft su tghaasa', ftursua' ftftutt unthftunat."

The world grew distant. It felt like she was levitating off the ground, soaring through the air.

"F'aag ru'n sha nuungax gfta'a, sha ra'uia'’g tughs,  
Inth'aatung g'atha un aa'sh ang tkx gu'unat."

She could no longer feel her body. Her vision was an inky void, the censer had disappeared, and though the incantation was now only within her mind, she still recited it.

"Bias a'a sha lia'ats 'aguantha th'ughnt sha g'aan,  
O' rau'ats ftiats'a ruftftt sh’ agnlathsans g'u'a."

She mentally screamed the words now. She felt nothing. She was nothing but a mind, a tightly bound cluster of thoughts, robbed of sense and feeling. She was no longer confined within the puppet of flesh and bone she had long come to consider herself. She now was truly herself. Stripped of all extraneous features, boiled down to what she truly was.

"Tha sghuftughs shuthkant, ang sha rftaasung tthana,  
Laa'at ftias a haftftugh’g nanu'x ur ftu'a!"

The incantation was finished. The words echoed infinitely around her, within both the confines of her mind, and within the massive expanse surrounding her, invisible as it may be to her now. She rested on the edge of the Void, where it met the realm of her soul. She could go no further, her soul was not like those native to the Void. She could reach to lower planes, like how her soul did to link with her astral form, but nothing she could do would allow her to penetrate the Void. Nothing SHE could do.

As the last guttural syllable echoed around her, something answered. She couldn't see it, but she knew it would arrive. It took hold of her soul, still anchored to her own body, and drug it away. Deeper into the Void they both travelled, past the reach of Limbo and the Ziggurat, far into the Abyss, until it released her etheric form. Depositing her before Them.

It must have amused Them greatly, what They saw. A soul, still linked to warm mundane matter, had been given to Them. They were unsure of Iris' purpose. Had the Taker forgotten to sever the linkage when it presented to Them this tasty morsel? Certainly a mongrel like it wouldn't have passed the opportunity to devour this mortal's astral body without good reason. Eventually, They concluded that she had come seeking an audience, and so an audience They granted her.

As the ritual robbed her of sense, They, gracious as They were, granted it back. Her sight, her hearing, her feeling returning to her, Iris bore witness firsthand to the monstrous glory of the Middle Court of the Bleak Court. They surrounded her at impossible angles, pulpy, shapeless, and plastic, a great wall of shimmering iridescence. Thousands of eyes stared at her soul, thousands more unseen by her mundane sight.

She just stared at the Court. She knew that if the spell worked, she would have to bear Their gaze, and she would have to bear the sight of Them, but she didn't truly understand what it would entail. She never knew just how halting it would be, basking in Their foul presence. Eventually, one spoke, a thunderous roar smashing the eerie silence.

"Child of that lesser plane, why have you come before us?" The voice echoed, each time it struck Iris, her soul shuddered. Iris couldn't speak, but a voice is meaningless in the Void. Here, thoughts triumph over sound. Her thoughts were tiny, like a mouse caught in a warzone.

"Mighty lords of the Void! All-powerful rulers of this plane and all others, I come to you seeking aid!" They would tolerate nothing short of absolute reverence, less than that, and They would sooner smash her soul to cinders than listen to another word. And so she was forced to this near-groveling.

Her thoughts faded from her mind. Silence filled the Void. Their immense forms writhed and vibrated, and Iris waited anxiously for either a refusal or a granting of her request. Then came a response.

"You have come here before us, this mighty Court, in search of our succor? Why do you believe this to be necessary, oh pathetic mortal?" It wasn't what she was hoping for, but it’s definitely better than outright rejection, with all the agonies it would entail. So far, so good.

"My mortal form, feeble as it may be, might be all that should be needed to reach the ends I seek, but I have been hobbled. One of my world, fool they are, holds in their hands an object of great power, and great danger. They seek its use for their own benefit, and they threaten the lives of all within my low plane with their scheme. Now, I sit captive, while they work to unlock the secrets of this source of power. I beg to you, mighty Court, to help me stop this mad idiot's fumbling search for power, I request your aid."

"And what do you provide to us in repayment, low one?" Another voice, high and heinously hissing, spoke, nearly cutting her off. She knew the subject would be brought up, and as much as the answered pained her, she had already made up her mind as to what she offered Them.

"In repayment, I offer to you, great Void Lords, myself! I offer, in exchange for your assistance, my soul, my true being. When my ends have been met, and your aid is no longer needed, I pledge my soul to you."

As soon as she finished, a bluish-green tendril shot out from the protean mass, aiming directly for her soul. It penetrated in painlessly, and rooted around within her for a moment. It paused its probing, and a thousand horrific screams echoed around her. The tendril retracted, now black as oil, and the thundering voice began.

"Child! Your soul has been tainted! It has been fouled and marked! We have no use for such a thing, for it should be naught but a blight upon us!"

Iris knew immediately what They meant. Her possession. It had cursed her, she could feel it within her body, it was like a slug worming through her veins. She knew something had been done to her, but she didn't know what it entailed. Panicking, Iris' mind raced for a compromise. She couldn't have come this far only for an unknown factor to ruin her plan.

"Please, there must be something that can be done! I'll provide you with whatever you wish, whatever you would consider a fair price-"

"You seek to end their existence, yes?" A deep, monotone voice spoke. Iris ceased her pleading. "You wish to end the life of the one who will bring ruin to your plane. Is that not correct?"

Iris thought. She had definitely considered the possibility that this would end in their death. After everything they had done, all the suffering and death on the back of their own hubris, she couldn't help but agree that they'd deserve it. Although, she would prefer that this ended without death, as even if it was a deserved death, Iris felt squeamish at the idea at ending a life. But she had gone over the situation, time and time again, and despite her wishes, she considered it acceptable if they had to die.

Y-y-yes? I do?"

"Then we may have reached a compromise." The thundering voice said. From within the great sludgy mass, something broke off from it. It resembled a picture she had seen of an octopus, but it was larger than any octopus she had read of, and aside from the great transparent bulb where its head would have been, its skin was the same shimmering iridescence as the rest of the blobby mess surrounding her. The massive thing floated to her soul, grabbing hold of it by its six snaking tentacles. It drug her soul into its mouth, which lead directly to the clear bulb on top of it. From all around her, inside the great bulb, thin wires of red smoke swirled. The hissing voice echoed around her, and she listened closely.

"I have been dubbed by those pathetic denizens of Abbadon as Bha-Dhoorlyu. Refer to me with reverence as you wish, for I have no such need for a name. I have been chosen to empower you, child. The terms of our deal are simple: I will provide to you power unlike any other, with which you will enact your will upon your plane, and in exchange, you will provide us with the soul of the one who you seek the death of."

"I humbly agree to these terms, Bha-Dhoorlyu."

"Excellent. Now, we shall begin." The red smoke suddenly began flowing into her soul. Iris cried out in pain as a deep searing heat enveloped her. It ended as soon as it began, and she felt a deep thrum within herself, the searing heat now a comforting warmth. It was like she had been renewed by this eldritch power coursing through her soul, going down the linkage and into her mundane body. Although she couldn't see it, her soul had taken on a deep crimson hue, the sign of Their chthonic glory.

"I shall instruct you in the ways of your newfound power soon." Bha-Dhoorlyu began, "But I must warn you. There is an additional stipulation to our compact. Through the use of your power, the souls of those who die by your hands will be pledged to us. A portion of the slain's life force shall be tithed unto myself."

"Wait, that wasn't a part of the agreement!" They were swindling her just as the being from before had.

"No, but as a reminder of our dominion over all planes, those whose lives are claimed by our powers, are claimed by us."

Iris was furious. It was yet another soul-stealing trick. Just like before, only this time, she would be the instigator. But They had boxed her into a corner. By this point, she doubted They would let her back out of the deal, especially not after imbuing her with Their power. And as difficult as They were making it, she did finally have all the tools necessary to put an end to the looming threat. She would be taking a massive risk however. She was willing to kill them if that's what it took, but she had no intention to harm others, especially not if it would damn them to this fate, to place their etheric essence at the mercy of these abominations. But Iris knew deep down that she was trapped, there was no escape from this course. It was exclusively her fault for anyone who was brought before the Court, but she had to make do with this. The most she could hope for was to be precise and minimize any unnecessary deaths. Perhaps, if she's lucky, only one person would die in these coming times.

"Alright, fine. I'll work around this caveat. Now, what was that about teaching?"


End file.
